30 Days of Prayer: Rooted

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

We have a tree in our backyard that an arborist told us was in danger of falling over. “Why?” we asked. “Because it has a very shallow root system” was the answer.

Uncertain times cause us to be fearful and ask questions that outwardly mirror our inner trust and faith. The kinds of questions we ask reveal our root system and what we depend on for stability. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that as long as our trust is in the Lord, He will provide and He will allow us to be a source of blessing. Jeremiah also tells us that we will have ‘years of heat’ and ‘years of drought’.

We are in the middle of a ‘year of heat’, where our trust is being tested. I have been often reminded that trials are tests that teach us to trust. This gives us a great opportunity to evaluate and ask if we are learning to trust. If our confidence is in anything other than the Lord, now is good opportunity to transplant our trust to the Lord. Because we have a good Father, we know that our confidence in Him is never misplaced. Because we have a loving Father, we know He will always be true to His word.

Prayer:

Father—this is an uncertain time for us because we don’t have answers. Thank you that you hold all things in the palm of your hand. Remind us that you are trustworthy. Help us to root deeply into your word and your love

For Reflection:

“Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

By Lori Allen